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What is PFOS?

PFOS stands for perfluorooctanesulfonic
acid or perfluorooctanesulfonate. Along with PFOA, it is a per-
and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) used in some aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) used in firefighting and fire training.

In the past, PFOS may have also been
released into the environment after it was used in the production of Teflon amoung other consumer products, or when
products containing PFOS were used by industry or consumers. PFOS can also enter
the environment from landfill sites where products and materials that contain
the chemical are disposed of.

Various studies have shown that
PFOS can accumulate in our bodies and damage the internal organs of both
animals and humans.

In 2002, a study by the Environmental
Directorate of the OECD stated that "PFOS is persistent, bioaccumulative and
toxic to mammalian species”[i]
and in May 2009 it was added to Annex B of the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants.

For information about PFOS from the Australian
Department of Health, click here.

matCARETM, produced by CRC CARE, can
remediate the impact of AFFF by irreversibly binding to the PFOA and
PFOS molecules, neutralising their toxicity immediately.